ROVworld Subsea Information

The British Geological Survey (BGS) has recently taken delivery of a dual head EM 3002D multibeam echosounder system complete with Seapath 200 position, heading and attitude system and Caris HIPS and SIPS post processing software.

The MRU 5 from the Seapath 200 can be mounted next to the sonar heads in a subsea housing, minimising the possibility of any offset errors and maximising the quality of the data gathered. The system was selected following a competitive tender process and will initially be utilised as a portable system for mobilisation on vessels of opportunity. The dual-head, wide swath, configuration was chosen to allow economical surveying of shallow near shore and freshwater areas where quality bathymetric data is often lacking. An EM 3002D survey in Forth Estuary was collected in collaboration with Forth Ports on their survey vessel Calatria.

About The British Geological Survey

The British Geological Survey is responsible for advising the UK government on all aspects of geoscience as well as providing impartial geological advice to industry, academia and the public. The BGS is a component organisation of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which is the UK's leading body for basic, strategic and applied research and monitoring in the environmental sciences. The EM 3002D will be used to map the detailed geology of the sea floor to improve our knowledge of a wide range of environmental issues ranging from habitats and climate change to investigating the very fabric of the earths crust. This improved understanding will help not only scientific research, but also the management and protection of the marine environment in collaboration with researchers such as the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS), regulatory bodies such as the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and with industry clients. The BGS is a keen advocate of the principle of collecting once and using the same data many times, maximising the value of the data whilst minimising the overall cost. By adding to the national capability in marine mapping the BGS is ready to play its role in a more coordinated approach to national surveys and legislation.